Wire attachment means for electrical terminals



Oct. 25, 1960 v. LlPlNSKl WIRE ATTACHMENT MEANS FOR ELECTRICAL TERMINALS Filed March 51, 195E s 5 m n m m R W. o m M E Y B m; 4 7 i m i J .9 7 R 7% T w C M 7 x mm fil Anni- ,II W? 00 4 DZ a Z 2 o m m .a/ z 1 m H II f A? cation.

United States Patent ice Vincent Lipinski, Fairficld, Conn assignor to Harvey Hubbell, Incorporated, Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Mar. 31, 1958, Ser. No. 725,170

Claims. (Cl. 339-195) This invention relates to electric wiring devices, and particularly to means tor attaching conductor wires to the electrical terminals of these wiring devices, and has for an object to provide an improved and simplified means for attaching conductor wires to the contacts which does not require wrapping the wire around the shank of the binding screw.

Another object is to provide a connecting means of this type which comprises mounting the clamping memher for transverse or lateral movement on a portion of the electrical contact, and connecting with it a binding screw so arranged as to be adapted to shift the clamping member to and from the clamping position for clamping a conductor wire against one side of the contact.

With the toregoing and other objects in view, I have devised the construction and arrangement illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specifi- It is, however, to be understood the invention is not limited to the specific details of construction and arrangement shown, but may embody various changes and modifications within the scope of the invention.

In this drawing:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a connector plug with this wire attaching means applied thereto, the section being substantially on the plane or line 11 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section substantially on line 2-2 oiFig. 1;

-Fig. 3 is a transverse section substantially on line Fig. 4is an :end view on a smaller scale looking tolward the bottom of Fig. 1; i Fig. 5 is a side viewof one :end portion of the electrical contact used in the form of Fig. 1;

- Fig. -6 is a transverse section thereof substantially on line ,6.6 of Fig. 5;

Fig.7 is a plan view of the locking member on an enlarged scale;

Fig.' 8 is a side view thereof looking cfirom the right of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is aside view looking i'lrom the bottom of g- V Fig. is a side view of the binding screw adapted :for. use with this device, and

-;Fig. 11. is a top plan view thereof. I nthedrawing improved wire attaching means is "shewn' as applied to a'coiinecting plug or elect-iicalat- 2,958,068 Patented Oct. 25, 1960 be used with their heads seating in the countersunk recesses 5 in the top wall of the member 2 and threaded into nuts 6 in the other member. They may or may not be (but preferably are) enclosed in :a protective metal shell 7 and may be secured therein either by the screws 4 passing through the end wall of the shell, or the body members may be a tight fit in the shell.

This cap is provided with any suitable number of blade contacts 8, in the present case four, adapted for insertion in the entrance slots in a connector or other suitable receptacle to engage the receptacle or connector contacts mounted therein. This improved wire connector is shown as applied to these blade contacts to connect the conductor wires thereto, but it may also be used for connecting the conductor wires to a receptacle contact or the contacts of other types of electrical wiring devices.

In the present cap or plug the contact blades 8 are passed through similarly shaped slots 9 in the body member 3 to project from the lower side thereof for insertion in the slots in a connector or other receptacle. They extend at their upper end portions into recesses 10 extending inwardly from the top and side walls of the member 3, and are retained therein by the lower end wall of the upper member 2.. These blade contacts, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, include at the upper ends of the blade portions a widened head portion 11 and above this a narrower stem or shank 12. Both the head 11 and stem 12 are preferably substantially flat plate portions, and the stem 12 is provided in its opposite side edges with two pairs of transverse longitudinally spaced notches 13 and 14-, the notches of each pair being in alignment as shown in Fig. 5. The upper notches 14 are preferably spaced inwardly a short distance from the .free end of the shank.

The clamping means for the lead' or conductor wire comprises a substantially C-shaped member 15 including an intermediate connecting portion 16 and two laterally extending arms or portions 17 at the opposite ends of the member 16, so that they are laterally spaced irom each other and preferably substantially parallel, and extend :at substantially right angles to the connecting member 16. These legs or end members 17 comprise loops, preferably closed loops, with a curved inner edge 18 at their outer ends, and the connecting portion 16 is provided with a tapped or threaded opening 19 for the binding screw 20. This screw is provided with an enlarged circular flange 21 forming the inner portion of the head 22. These clamps 15 are mounted one on each of the electrical contacts by passing the stem 12 through the openings in the loops and then turning them so that the opposite side edges 23 of the opening through the loops are seated in the notches 13 and 14, which function to mount the clamp on the electrical contact and also act as means to guide it for transverse movement on the contact. The binding screw 21} is threaded through the opening 19 and engages at its free end against one side of the stem 12 with the outer end edges 18 of the loops on the opposite side of the stem, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The inner or lower body member 3 is provided with inwardly facing upright channels 24 in the opposite vertical side walls of the chambers 11 to receive the opposite side edges of the head portion 11 of the electrical contacts to secure them in position. Thus in mounting these electrical contacts the blade portion is inserted through the slots 9 and the opposite edges or the head portion 11 are slid downwardly in the channels 24 to seat therein vw'th the lower edges 25 of the head portion 11 seating on the bottom wall of the recesses 10 to thus locate the contacts in position. The upper member 2 of the body is also preferably provided with opposite side of the contact.

recess 26 in its lower surface in alignment with this contact to receive the upper end portion 27 of the stem, and thus provide support to prevent lateral bending of the stem. With the contact in this position this stem portion 12 and the clamp 15 mounted thereon, together with the binding screw, are located within the chamber 10, and the clamp 15 is preferably of 'such a length that the upper and lower surfaces of the end loops 17 are closely adjacent the lower surfaces of the upper member 2 and the bottom surfaces of the recesses to provide additional guiding surfaces for these clamping members. The opposed bottom surface of the member 2 and the bottom surface of the recess 10 are provided with oppositely facing or opposed recesses 28 and 29 to receive the edges of the flange 21 on the binding screw and retain this screw against longitudinal movement, or they may be of a size to permit limited longitudinal movement of the screw. The screw heads are accessible for operation of the screws through the sides 30 of the recesses 10 which extend through the sides of the member 2.

In operation, after the contacts are mounted in the member 3, stripped ends 31 of the lead wires of any suitable cable 32, for example, may be inserted through openings 33 through the cap or body member 2 and inserted through the openings in the loops or end members 17 of the clamp 15, the clamp in this position being shown in the released position on contact 8a in the left side of Fig. 1. In this position, manipulation of the screw in the reverse or counterclockwise direction has shifted the clamping member to the right so the looped ends extend to the right from the stem 12 on one side with the connecting portion 16 and the end of the screw engaging the opposite side of the stem. This provides plenty of room for insertion of the stripped free end 31 of the wire through the openings in the loops 17. The bottom walls of the recesses or chambers 10 may be provided with depressions or recesses Ma to provide clearance for the free end of wire 31. Then by tightening up on the screw the pressure of the end of the screw against the side of the stem 12 will cause the screw to shift the clamp 15 outwardly T his will shift the inner edges 18 of the loops against the inserted wire 31 and will clamp it tightly against the surface of the stem 12 on the opposite side from the binding screw, as shown at the right hand part of Figs. 1 and 2. Then the body members 2 and 3 may be inserted in the protective shell 7.

It will be seen from the above that this makes a very effective means for securing the conductor wire to the electrical contact, it being merely necessary to insert the stripped or bared end of the wire throughthe loops of the clamp when the clamp is in the released position, and then by manipulation of the screw to tightly clamp the conductor wire in two spaced positions against the This can be effected without the necessity of wrapping the wire about the shank of the screw, as is common in makingthe connection to a binding screw, and it makes a very tight and effective electrical connection, as Well as a secure mechanical connection. As the screw is held against longitudinal movement by its flange in the recesses 28 and 29, reverse turning movement of the screw will shift the clamp inwardly to the released position, providing plenty of opening for insertion of the wire and also effecting its release if it is desired to disconnect the wire.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, I claim:

1. An electric wiring device comprising an insulating body member, an electric terminal including a stem provided with aligned guide notches in opposite edges thereof and mounted in said body member, a clamp comprising a looped portion having spaced side edges located in said notches and guided thereby for movement of the clamp transversely of the stem, a screw connected to the clamp, and means in the body member holding the screw against longitudinal movement whereby the screw is operable to shift the clamp on the stem between a released position and a position to clamp a conductor wire between an 'edge of said looped portion and the stem.

2. An electric wiring device comprising a body of insulating material, an electric terminal mounted in said body including a stem provided with longitudinally spaced notches in a side thereof, a clamp comprising a side portion and laterally extending spaced loops at its opposite ends, said loops having edges seated in and guided by said notches for lateral movement of the clamp on the stem,

a screw threaded into said side portion of the clamp, and means in the body holding the screw against longitudinal movement whereby the screw is operable to shift the clamp on the stern between a released position and a position to clamp a conductor wire passing through said loops against one side of the stem.

3. An electric wiring device comprising a body of insulating material, an electric terminal mounted in said body including a substantially fiat stern provided with longitudinally spaced notches in at least one side edge thereof, a clamping member comprising laterally spaced looped members embracing the stem and a connecting member between them, said looped members having inner edges seated in and guided by said notches for lateral movement of the clamp on the stern, a screw threaded in said connecting member and engaging one side of the stemat its free end, and means in the body retaining the screw against longitudinal movement whereby the screw is operable to shift the clamp on the stem between a released position and a position to clamp a conductor wire extending through the looped members between the inner edges of the looped members and the opposite side of the stem.

4. An electric wiring device according to claim 3 in which the stem is a plate member in which the notches are arranged in longitudinally spaced pairs in its opposite side edges, the clamp is a substantially C-shaped member with laterally extending loops at the opposite ends of the intermediate connecting portion, and the inner side edges of the loops seat in and are guided by the notches for lateral movement of the clamp between the released and wire clamping positions.

5. An electric wiring device according to claim 3 in which the means .for preventing longitudinal movement of the screw comprises shoulder means in the body and an enlarged flange forming a part of the head of the screw engaging said shoulder means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,288,390 Broverman June 30, 1942 2,527,212 Garner Oct. 24, 1950 2,713,672 Allen July 19, 1955 

